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Allston Car Wash employees still in federal custody after ICE raid
The workers, all of whom have work permits, were detained Nov. 4 in a raid conducted by federal agents last week.
Nine employees at Allston Car Wash, all of whom have work permits, remain in federal custody after agents from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detained them in a raid last week.
Information about the workers’ detainment status has been sparse, according to Todd Pomerleau, their attorney. Pomerleau told Boston.com that ICE has not responded to any of his inquiries about the cases he is overseeing.
The employees were detained Nov. 4 when more than 22 federal agents arrived at the car wash, located on Cambridge Street in Allston, with subpoenas in hand, Jose Barrera, the business’ manager, told Boston.com last week. The masked agents asked the workers to show their documents but detained them before giving them a chance to retrieve their work permits from their lockers, according to Barrera.
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“They were not able to clearly speak to the officers and get a chance to present their documents,” Barrera told Boston.com.
Nearly two dozen agents were present, but only two of them identified themselves, according to Barrera. They also refused to provide information about where the employees were being taken or why they were being detained.
Barrera declined to comment further Sunday morning about the employees’ pending cases.
Since their detainment, getting the necessary information for the workers’ cases has been an uphill battle. Pomerleau told Boston.com that he has had to rely on the employees’ family and friends to get their documents because officials have been unhelpful.
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Information about the majority of the detainees, including their locations, is not currently available in ICE’s locator database, which often takes days to update.
Orders have been filed to prevent the detained workers from being transferred out-of-state, according to court records. The nine employees are listed as Hector Valladares, Felicita Valladares, Vanessa Vasquez Valladares, Clarisa Aguilon, Heidy Aguilon, Yuli Magali Mendez Luarca, Pablo Oseas Lopez, Dairo Preciado, and Jose P. Enriquez Sagastume, filings show.
Some of the detainees who are being held at ICE’s Boston field office in Burlington have reported experiencing mistreatment, such as not being fed or given a chance to shower for several days, according to Pomerleau. One detainee was also allegedly transferred to Texas in violation of a court order.
Pomerleau told Boston.com that he is working on “assembling a team of lawyers” and plans to meet with some of the detainees’ families Monday.
“We will seek answers, and we will seek justice,” Pomerleau said.
Tricia McLaughlin, the Department of Homeland Security’s assistant secretary, alleged in a statement to Boston 25 News that the nine workers entered the United States illegally.
“On November 4, ICE conducted a targeted immigration enforcement operation in Allston, Massachusetts that resulted in the arrest of 9 illegal aliens including an illegal alien who chose to commit a felony by illegally re-entering the U.S.,” McLaughlin said in the statement. “Three entered under the Biden administration, four were gotaways at the border, one entered illegally under W. Bush, and another overstayed his visa which expired under President Clinton. For decades, politicians left our borders wide open. Now, thanks to President Trump and Secretary Noem, we have the most secure border in American history.”
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LUCE’s Allston-Brighton hub, which has created a fundraiser in support of immigrant families, said it will send some of the donations to the employees’ families.
Rep. Ayanna Pressley expressed her outrage about the raid and extended support in a post on X.
“ICE abducted 9 documented workers at a car wash in Allston & denied them the chance to retrieve their documents — this is cruel & harrowing,” Pressley said in the post. “My office is in touch with the families and working with them to track down their loved ones & connect them with legal counsel.”
Boston City Councilor Liz Breadon, who represents Allston, similarly condemned the raid and called it “kidnapping” in a statement Oct. 4.
“It is a horrifying chapter in the illegal and vindictive targeting of Boston by ICE and the Trump Administration,” Breadon said in the statement. “My office is working with Senator Warren’s office, Senator Markey’s office, Representative Pressley’s office, and local immigrants’ rights organizations to connect impacted family members with needed resources.”
Breadon joined fellow city councilors Enrique Pepén and Benjamin Weber, along with about 100 other attendees, at a vigil in Allston to support the detained employees, according to The Boston Globe.
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“We don’t back down when our neighbors are under threat. These times call for unity, compassion, and action,” Pepén said in an Instagram post. “Thank you to Councilor Liz Breadon for her steadfast leadership, and to the residents of Allston-Brighton for organizing and standing up against cruelty. This is what community looks like.”
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